This is not a third gen, but I thought you guys might enjoy looking at it as much as I did. This is on SDS's (Simple Digital Systems) website, projects page. The owner/creator is Chris Bounds of Mississippi.

This guy really has some talent to fit all this hardware, and a V8 into an S10 truck, with AWD, A/C and ABS brakes! Twin T3/T4 hybrid turbos, intercooled, injected. 10.4 at 129mph, 1.51 60s. He also biult a twin turbo SBC powered Toyota Supra. Very impressive. We need to find this guy and have him build a TT 3rd gen!

 

Another pic. Notice the upper radiator hose- apperently the radiator is mounted remotely, maybe in the bed of the truck.

 

holy fnucring crap it has A/C. forget the rest of it, it has A/C!

man where is the magic fairy? I want A/C.

 

OK, for the life of me I don’t understand the big deal about keeping the AC. No, my formula doesn’t have AC, and for about half of it’s life my ’83 TA didn’t have AC, but that wasn’t because they couldn’t or didn’t have room, but because I like(d) to tinker with the cars and leaving the AC there made everything take about 3x as long. With the ’83, as soon as the AC lost it’s charge it got ditched, with the ’87 it wasn’t working when I bought it so I pulled it off the first day I had it (after I confirmed that it wasn’t something else). As with everything else, you just have to choose which compromises you’re willing to live with and build accordingly. In the case of AC the easiest way is to compromise in plumbing size and routing (downpipes…) and/or possibly doing some cutting, and it would be very difficult to do in a way that it wouldn’t be in the way of basic maintenance…

What is truly impressive about that setup is how tight and low he got the packaging and how he kept things clear of the top of the engine (making it nice do deal with most issues that you will mess with at the track).

 

Some of us don't like to sweat our asses off in the middle of the summer.

 

Exactly, I had a custom bracket made to keep my A/C when did my engine swap

 

oh its not that bad, i drive around in the Arizona summer heat without a/c, and im sure that is worse than where you guys live.

 

It's the humidity that kills you, not really the heat. The humidity sticks to you and makes you feel all muggy and generally hot. Arizona is more of a dry heat. I will never go without ac, never. I'll deal with a little less space and a little more weight for that added creature comfort.

 

I've lived in Oklahoma where it's ~80-90 usually in the summer, and I've lived in Pheonix, where it's ~100-110 usually, both with my old IROC, and it's A/C didn't work. I'd MUCH rather be in Pheonix without A/C. That Oklahoma humidity definately makes it feel 100x worse.
I for one will go to great lengths to keep A/C along with everything else I want in the car, just my personal preference. I like to be 'relatively' comfortable instead of 'relatively' miserable.

An AWD TT V8 S10 with functional A/C is pretty cool in my book.

 

Humidity… no ****. Try the DC area. For those of you that don’t know, DC was basically built by draining a swamp. It was considered neutral ground because it was land that none of the states wanted. You southerners talk about heat and humidity, but on most days we’ve got it worse then you guys (you guys in FL, GA and SC have it longer but we have it worse, from what I understand there are areas in TX on the gulf that have it pretty bad). Wednesday we had a high of only about 94 but with 89% humidity, making the heat index (what it feels like) well over 100. By the time August rolls around we’ve usually had week or 2 with actual temps in the high 90’s/low 100’s with 90% or so humidity. I’m pretty much uncomfortable in anything above about 70* around here (I grew up in Buffalo, a hot summer day was 80* with 50% humidity)

As far as the rest of this argument goes I never said that it wasn’t cool to have AC or a big deal, I just said that you have to choose your compromises. In a toy I won’t waste my time, since the time spent in a 100* garage wrenching, covered with engine spooge while filling the lifter valley with a couple of gallons of my own sweat + whatever stuck to me while I was working for 3x as long is much worse then being a little sticky in the car when stuck in traffic (who cares at speed, get a nice breeze going at >35mph and it doesn’t make a difference either way). The shirt that I f-up is one thing (I have my “garage shirts” anyway and I kinda like taking showers), but I’d be really pissed if I ended up having to rebuild an engine, tranny, turbo… because of a bit of grit that dripped off of me. For that matter, if I have to get somewhere looking perfect, I’ll jump in my truck and crank the AC, I don’t have to fold up as much so I’m less likely to rumple a suit or wrinkle a shirt…. I might change my mind whenever I decide to air condition my garage.

 

Not in august when it is still 105-110 with 70-90% humidity

puts the heat index well above 120.